The gameplay in Unreal Tournament is a big key in why it is able to survive without using all of the PS2’s power for graphics. First of all, Unreal Tournament for the Playstation 2 is a straight PC port. This game is so fun and addicting. It’s funny, because when I was playing it, I would get pissed because I couldn’t beat a level, but for some reason I had to continue to play until I beat it! This is exactly what gamers are looking for, and Unreal Tournament certainly delivers it. The controls for Unreal Tournament obviously aren’t as good as they are on a keyboard, but they’re quite amazing using the Dual Shock 2 controller. You will have to use the analog sticks to move around and turn. At first, it’ll be very difficult to master the controls, and you will get frustrated. It took me about an hour to get used to the controls, but after you’ve mastered them, you’ll worship your Dual Shock 2 controller. The aiming should have been improved by making your target lens a lot bigger, because it’s hard to focus it onto an opposing player. Although, if you have a sniper rifle, you can zoom in on an enemy and kill him in one shot from quite a distance away.

When you’re playing a ladder where you’re put onto a team, you’ll see why you wouldn’t be able to beat the ladder without your teammates. For example, I was playing capture the flag and I had the other team’s flag in my possession. As I was running back to my base, I noticed I had little energy left. I continued to run to my base, and I heard my teammate tell me there was an enemy near, so I turned around and blew his head off. If my teammate hadn’t reported that to me, I would have been killed and would have lost the flag. Your teammates will also ask for help, and believe it or not, will do most of the conquering and killing. You will find that the players on your team are very helpful and effective. There are always downsides in a game’s gameplay, and there are a couple in Unreal Tournament. First of all, when you’re playing on the assault ladder, you will have to complete an objective in a certain area and you’ll get lost. This really pissed me off because I had no clue where to go. There were no maps of the levels to help you locate these areas. Also, you’ll get killed about every minute of the game, which is really annoying. You’ll get shot at from all angles and will get frustrated. In the last couple of levels in each ladder, you’ll see how tough it is to kill an enemy.

The presentation of the overall game is sub par. First of all, the framerate is very slow, probably running under 30 FPS at times. There will also be segments where the game will freeze for 1 second. When you’re playing with more than one character on screen, you’ll really notice and feel the slowdown. The level designs are gold in this game. The levels vary from a moving train, a pirate ship, a submarine, and many other levels. The levels are so different that you will think you’re playing a whole new game, but in reality, it’s just another level. Level designs will play a big role in the game because when you’re standing on a bridge, you’ll be pushed and shot off into hot lava. You’ll never run out of any items because every arena contains hundreds of items that reappear, such as health vials, guns, thigh pads, health packs, and many more. There are over 10 guns such as the ripper, shock rifle, mini-gun, rocket launcher, and the sniper rifle. When you’re playing with your team, you can actually see an amazing gun fight between your teammate and an enemy, which is a nice touch. You can also blow up enemies who are already dead, and their pieces will go flying everywhere. If you shoot someone in the head, his or her head will fly off. After you beat a ladder, a cool FMV is shown where your character is standing at top of some kind of mount, and he receives a trophy.

The sound is another impressive area in Unreal Tournament. If you’re using a stereo with surround sound, you’re in for a treat. The gunshots are so realistic, just like they’re in a movie. There are also some funny remarks by your enemies while you are fighting, such as, "You might want to turn your safety off," or, "Learn how to aim." These remarks will get on your nerves and will make you want to kill the enemies even more. The announcer is a great feature to this area in the game, because he does his job so well. He has a very loud, deep voice that gets your attention. He’ll really pump you up with his voice, and he doesn’t talk too much or too little. He’ll tell you who the winners and losers are, if you’re on a killing spree, if you’re dominating, and many other comments. The music for the most part is perfectly fit for this kind of game, loud and heart racing. The sound in this game is one thing to really admire.

When you see the visuals in this game, you’ll be able to tell that this game was rushed. The graphics are very, very poor. I think this is a shame, due to all the power the Playstation 2 contains. The graphics are worse than many PSX games. As you walk around, you’ll see how bad the textures were done. As you look around and see a brick wall, you’ll see the textures are jagged, rough, and overlap each other. When you see the exterior of a building on some levels, you’ll see that the building is just 2 squares on top of each other. You’ll also observe guns flashing like they’re about to disappear, and anti-aisling is present in the game. I know that the game was rushed, but I still think a better job could have been done.

The level designs are thoroughly thought out, and play a very big role in the game. If you’re not careful, you’ll be pushed off bridges and die. The fun factor of the game is another high, because once you start playing you won’t be able to put down the controller.

The game was rushed so the graphics in the game are very poorly programmed. The level textures are very poor, and could be improved on. You’ll see jagged edges of bricks, and buildings that look like two boxes constructed on top of each other. The framerate is very slow, probably running under 30 FPS at times. When there are multiple characters on screen, you’ll really fell the slowdown.